Occupied Japan

So you’ve heard of “Occupied Japan” items and wonder what that means. Well, I’m going to tell you!

After World War II ended, the Japanese economy was devastated. The Japanese needed a way to rebuild the economy and an agreement was struck with the occupying American forces that 50% of all goods being exported from Japan would be marked with “Occupied Japan” or “Made in Occupied Japan.”

This term “Occupied Japan” was insulting to the Japanese. Pieces may not have been marked as directed due to the stigma of this term. This is why you can sometimes find two items that are identical, and one will be marked “Occupied Japan” and the other won’t. The pieces marked with “Occupied Japan” or “Made in Occupied Japan” generally have more value than those that are not marked.

Part of what makes Occupied Japan items so collectible is that they were made during a very specific 7 year period, from 1945-1952. There were an almost endless variety of products produced during this period, from cloth items, like scarves or doilies, metal items, paper items, glass items and of course, porcelain and pottery.

Some of the pottery and porcelain items look very cheaply made. And some are absolutely gorgeous! Some look so much like pieces from other companies, like Dresden, that you couldn’t tell them apart by looking. Figurines are a popular collector item from the Occupied Japan period.

The only way to be certain an item is from the Occupied Japan period is if it is marked as such. Of course, some of these items are very valuable and fakes do occur, so you need to be careful. There are lots of fakes particularly of Black Americana items, so be especially careful with those. Some of the most collectible and valuable Occupied Japan pieces are Victorian figurines, Dresden copies and some of the Hummel look-alikes. Anything marked or signed by an artist is also usually a good investment. Prices for Occupied Japan items in general can range from a few dollars to several hundred or thousand dollars, depending on the rarity of the item, the quality and, for items like dinnerware sets, the completeness of the set.

I carry Occupied Japan Items in my store, Prairie Post Emporium.

Find books, toys, clothing, jewelry, beads, pottery and collectibles at the Circle of Stores.